


In This Endless World

by Umbry2000



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium wow that is hard to spell, Colette Stop Picking the Flowers, DEFINITELY not as depressing as the other one I did, Do I Have an Obsession with Flower Crowns? Possibly, DoTNW Continuity, F/M, Happy Ending, Immortality, Memories, Phantasia Continuity, Post-Canon, Reincarnation, The gerbera daisies return with a vengeance, Very Far in the Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28361169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbry2000/pseuds/Umbry2000
Summary: Perhaps one day, they could find each other again. For that was all that their hearts wished for.
Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	In This Endless World

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as an alternate ending to [Kalopsia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029351). But in the end, it became an entirely different path with different continuity. Therefore a lot of the plot points are somewhat similar, but the outcome was very different. Enjoy this much happier piece!
> 
> Happy New Year!

Colette walked down the street between the tall skyscrapers, observing the people milling all around her: adults rushing to work, teenagers talking amongst themselves, and those simply enjoying the serenity. Like herself, she supposed. 

As she continued further into the city, Colette idly hummed a lullaby that she remembered from quiet nights in her childhood: a song about angels, and how they would protect people from dangers. Ironic, considering what she knew now, and what she had become. Strange, too, to think that this song was as ancient as she was; and older than her, still. They were both millennia old.

 _Where should I go today?_ Colette wondered as she idly rubbed at the ring on her finger, pausing in the middle of the path before the grand fountain that stood in the middle of the city. A ring so worn away by the passage of time that the inscription had long since faded into plain metal, even though the memory of the day she’d received it was still etched into her mind. He had slid it onto her finger, whispering a vow of eternal love. She had easily accepted, tears of joy running down her face.

And even if his life had not been eternal, Colette would always believe his love was. Their love for each other was not something that time could wear away. It stood strong, even now, pulling at her heart every second of every day. 

Today… today, Colette wanted to take some time to reminisce. To stay utterly still and do nothing but recall. It was why she’d taken this week off from work before she made the annual journey to where the Great Tree used to be. It gave her the time to simply be, which was difficult to achieve in this world that constantly changed around her. 

As she turned to set off in the direction of the park, the plaque on the fountain caught her eye the way it always did, glinting under the sun.

"The city of Iselia, said to have once been home to legends."

* * *

Colette knelt among the grass, comfortable with it getting on her jeans. She'd grown up playing in fields and dirt. Getting a little dirty was nothing, really. Colette waved goodbye to the child that she had given her latest flower crown to, who grinned and placed it upon her head before running off.

It brought her joy to make them smile. There had been a time, before, when Colette had sobbed in the arms of her beloved, mourning the children she could never have. The Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium that she had contracted in her youth meant she was infertile. He had wiped her tears away and reassured her that he didn't care. No matter what, she was still... her. Nothing could change that.

Nowadays, Colette liked spending time with children. If she was to stay in this world forever, she would rather create little joyful memories for others than drown in her own grief forever. There was time for grief, and there was also a time that came after. Believing that time would come was the most important thing. 

As Colette picked up a daisy between her fingers, she recalled another set of deft fingers threading together Gerbera Daisies into beautiful and intricate flower crowns that would always wind up on her head. _He_ would put them there with a proclamation of triumph like he had won something incredible just by seeing her smile. It had been both heartwarming and incredibly painful, thinking that she had to forsake all that she held dear.

In the end, Colette hadn’t had to forsake anything, because he had taught her how to live for herself. And even if she had lost him, it had been after the most incredible years of her life, spent by his side. It still hurts, even all these millennia later, thinking back on warm russet eyes and soft brown hair. But the stabbing pain in her heart had smoothed out over time, dulled to a soft ache.

Most days, Colette was glad that ache remained. It meant she could still easily recall those old memories, tinged with both sadness and fondness.

Colette stretched, relishing the warm sunlight on her skin as she checked the time on her watch. There was still another four hours before she needed to pack a suitcase for the aeroplane ride. What to do now?

The harbour it was, then. He _had_ loved boats.

* * *

Sometimes Colette mourned that the world had changed so much from when she was still a young girl. That all of the small towns and rolling valleys had disappeared and made way for the majestic skyscrapers and office buildings that were the norm today. But still, she knew change was inevitable. Even if she never changed, the world around her would. All Colette could do was adapt, and learn to find joy in the new world. 

But Colette did mourn the death of the magic she had loved as a child. She was one of the last two remaining beings on Aselia who knew of the Old World. Colette had fought with her friends, once, to overthrow the unnatural world order and create a better world. She had fought alongside new heroes and stepped back to watch a new generation of heroes succeed in their mission to save Martel and the Great Tree. But in the end, the world simply had no place for mana. She had watched the last of the elves and half-elves die, had held Noishe in her lap and sent him off on his final journey. She’d been with Martel for her final moments. Martel had said she’d been happy. She had watched this world grow to the point that it no longer needed her.

Martel had faded away with a serene smile on her face.

Colette had mourned the death of the Great Tree, the last unchanged remnant of the world he had saved.

But she had moved on, of course, reminding herself that even now, this was still the world that he had loved and worked so hard to save. Colette was sure he’d still love it now, what with all of its miraculous inventions and intricate systems that would catch his attention. The whole wide world was accessible now, and they could play the world’s greatest game of hide-and-seek. 

So she would live on like she had promised, so many times in her life. First as a naive child, then as an Angel who’d known she’d far outlive everyone she loved. She would live on to honour their memories, helping those she could and bringing joy. In her own way, she could protect the world he’d left behind.

Colette relaxed on the bench by the sea, watching the large cruises, slow and loud, enter and exit the port. They had spent a year on a boat of his making, enjoying the sea breeze and watching the sunrise every morning. It had been one of his dreams, and one of her most cherished memories. If he could see these modern ships, Colette was sure he would marvel at their intricate workings.

The cries of nearby seagulls broke Colette out of her trance, and she began to contemplate the journey she would embark on tomorrow. She had undergone it every year since he had died. To visit his burial site, where he had been laid to rest for all eternity. Zelos would join her every time. It was like a shared ritual to return to that one place on the same day every year, making it the one day they knew they were guaranteed to see each other again.

Given that they were both too old-fashioned to get a mobile phone, they never confirmed with each other that they would be making the trip. They simply did every year without fail and Colette had faith that Zelos would show up again. They hardly bumped into each other apart from this one day of the year and to miss it would mean not seeing the other for another fifty years. And Colette knew they both missed each other immensely.

It was strange to think that Zelos was a teacher now. The boisterous, abrasive and self-loathing man she had first come to know Zelos as would not have meshed well with students. But Zelos had changed as well, of course. He had fallen in love and lost the one he loved, just as she had. Forgiveness, time and loss had caused him to mellow out by quite a bit. Colette herself worked at an animal shelter, where her colleagues knew her as nothing more than a quiet woman with an avid love for dogs. Otherwise, she was someone who ultimately kept to herself more often than not.

It had been far too soon since she’d lost a friend to the passage of time. That wound had not yet healed, and she wasn’t quite ready to open her heart yet.

But Colette knew she would, given time.

The voices of the children running past carry over the wind to her ears. It’s that time of the year where the entire city was alive with discussion of their annual festival. It was Iselia’s biggest tourist attraction and celebrated the legends that gave this city fame. 

Colette smiled, enjoying the breeze on her skin and through her long hair. It did make her happy to know that, even if his name had been forgotten, he was still remembered in some small way in the hometown that he’d loved.

* * *

It’s as she climbed the stairs to her apartment when Colette realized that she would have to move soon. She’d been back in Iselia for maybe 6 years. It wouldn’t be long more before people realized she wasn’t ageing. She’d have to leave again, a fact that always made her sad.

But it had become something of a cycle, to leave and go to new places. It was a chance to see new sights, learn new things and meet new people. And even if she did have to keep ripping herself out of lives, at least Zelos would always be a constant.

And Colette knew that, someday, she would return to Iselia once again. It was permanently engraved into her heart as home. All of her fondest memories had been made here in what had once been a small, idyllic village: growing up, falling in love and living her best life with the one that she loved.

Colette paused in front of her apartment door, reaching into her pocket to pull out her keys. The unnatural lightness of her ring finger clues her into the truth a moment before she looks at her finger and realises that her ring is missing.

Colette’s mind blanked as she stared in horror. _How?_ She almost never took it off! To think it had dropped somewhere…

Oh no. It could have dropped anywhere in the city. How was she supposed to find…?

Panicking, she turned on her feet and ran towards the stairwell, prepared to run down the stairs and search the entire city even if she had to forsake her sleep. She had to find it –

Colette crashed headlong into someone else who’d been running down the corridor, sending her and the other person hurtling to the floor. It had been a long time since something like this had happened, sending a sense of déjà vu down her spine. Colette raised her head slightly, trying to shake the stars out of her vision. 

“I’m so sorry, Miss! I had to catch up to you!” Colette’s eyes widened at the sound of that familiar voice, the memory of which she had nearly lost to time. She raised her head further, lips parting as she finally caught sight of the person in front of her. 

Warm russet eyes and messy brown hair dancing in the wind, straight out of her memories. 

“Oh, you’re not hurt, are you?” He asked, panicked at her lack of response. Quickly shaking herself out of her daze, she grabbed his hand and stood. It’s just a coincidence, surely. Miracles didn’t come along so easily. She should try to avoid making a fool of herself in front of a stranger. It wouldn't be fair to the person in front of her.

Colette ignored the little traitorous jump of her heart at the warmth of his hand and the familiar calluses she could feel. Getting her hopes up was dangerous.

“I’m fine,” she answered, still busy studying his face and the similarities she could spot. “But thank you. What did you need to catch up to me for?”

“Oh, here! You dropped this!” His right hand rummaged around in his pocket before unfurling to reveal her ring.

“Oh, thank you!” She was genuinely thankful as she took the ring from his palm and slipped it back onto her finger. “It’s very important to me.”

He smiled, then, and her breath caught painfully in her chest. It’s the same smile from her memories, wide and bright and kind.

“I’m glad, then!” He stared at her for a moment, just as she’d stared at him. “Do I… know you from somewhere? TV, maybe?”

Colette blinked, surprised. What a strange question. But it served only to heighten the strange sense of hope budding within her heart. “No, I don’t think so. I'm not an actor or anything.”

He studied her for a moment more, a look of confusion passing over his face. “Huh. You look really familiar. Well, no matter. My name’s Lloyd, what’s yours?”

Colette stared, that bud of hope blooming into a beautiful sense of wondrous happiness. Apparently, miracles did happen. 

It _was_ him, somehow. The person Colette loved more than anything in the world, that she had lost and thought she would never see again. Here he was in front of her, real and solid, straight out of her memories. 

He had lived a different life, held a different set of memories than the one she knew, and would be a slightly different person. But at his core, Colette strongly believed that he would be the same person. Lloyd would always be Lloyd, and nothing could change that. That was what she had learned, millennium ago.

_I don’t know you, yet. But I hope I'll get to._

Colette smiled, happier than she’s been in centuries.

“Colette. My name is Colette.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as they kept meeting each other again, but the mental image of Colette collecting every single ring for each time they met made me want to break into tears, so I toned it down a bit.
> 
> Also modern designs are literally the cutest :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Umbry2000)  
> (Edit: The link was broken)


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